Wednesday, 15 June 2011

Birkbeck School brought along 18 year 8/9 children to make Pepper's ghost and then see the camera obscura and my Pepper's ghost in situ. They did and what a great time they had, decapitating soldiers and glueing heads to crabs, making fantastic tableaus. Staff and pupils were all fantastic. Sci art in a heady mix. Katy Hewis from 'sciencematters' gave a powerpoint explaining the principal of the Pepper's ghost and Mr Pepper, she also did the candle trick and amused one and all with her wind up spout!

The staff were so taken with the workshop that they have decided to start a lunchtime club for the children to carry on making them and to create stop animation films of the activity on the stage.

Monday, 13 June 2011

The day was dry, then drizzly, then windy, and lastly very wet, but not until it had really finished. 50 plus people made the effort to come, but this little girl, her sister and mother were the stars of the show, they just loved it and couldn't stop playing around the camera obscura and just looking in awe at the pepper's ghost. A lovely day, the pieces all worked well in their new environment and I got this lovely image.

Friday, 10 June 2011

So nearly there. Sgt Pepper's Ghost Army is now created and on sunday will appear in the WW2 pillbox at Saltfleetby ( see previous post to see the pillbox). Once the image appears in a space which resonates with the war effort, the ghost army will have a power, ghostly, appearing is an internal space held aloft inside the pillbox, enigmatic and dramatic, all the internal workings are invisible to the viewer, they will just see the image through an aperture. Held.

Thursday, 9 June 2011

I know you have all been waiting for the next image from Theddlethorpe, the beach with the most sky, the most sand, the most mostness. So last night I went for a walk and saw the moon and the tide and the sand and thought lovely thoughts. This is a terrific job at the Saltfleetby nature reserve, making Pepper's Ghosts and Camera Obscuras for an old pillbox on the sand dunes, thank you Ignite and the Breath of Fresh Air team for getting me on board this really has been a joyous time, in part of the country I didn't know at all and now have very warm feeling towards. Roger Briggs at Natural England has made life so easy for me here, always there when I need him. On Sunday we have the final event as the pillbox is open to the public with the camera obscura and the pepper's ghost. Katy Hewis from 'sciencematters' and I are taking school workshops on monday and tuesday, where the children will make pepper's ghosts in inventive and imaginative ways. Then, that is that, a farewell to Lincolnshire, I hope I will return again someday, hopefully with more work, but maybe just a visit to the unspoilt beach that is Theddlethorpe.

Thursday, 2 June 2011

The workshops in Saltfleetby. Four different primary schools all the children came into the pill box and drew the image on the tracing paper, these they were able to take back to school and look at the right way and side up and see how Canaletto and many other painters have used a camera obscura. I wasn't fussed about the use of colour but wanted them to look and see what was actually there. Some found this more difficult then others, but they all had a go and no one got to frightened in the dark claustrophobic pill box. I think there is something intrinsically beautifully about a camera obscura image and after these workshops think that every school should have one set up permanently somewhere.

Wednesday, 1 June 2011

I promised to return with news and maybe some images, so with no further ado, after glue and tape, card and acetate, a few leds and a pepper's ghost appears. Now that is accomplished an artistic interpretation next week in Saltfleetby. My this is fun.